The average net cost of streaming services in Canada is approximately $160 per month. This list will help you narrow down your media spending this holiday season.
With the rise of streaming service subscription prices and a crackdown on account sharing, people are finding themselves at a crossroads with their favourite online media providers. With so many streaming services on the market and so much media to consume, it can be impossible to decide which network provider is the right fit. This list is here to help.
While Netflix wasn’t the first online streaming service on the scene, it was the first one to make it big.
A former movie rental service, Netflix is the home of popular original content such as Stranger Things and Bridgerton which acquire millions of views throughout the year. On top of Netflix Originals, the streaming service also offers a wide variety of network television and blockbuster movies. Netflix is also known for its broad selection of documentaries. On top of this, this streaming service has a varied collection of foreign-language films that have come from all over the world.
Netflix has a variety of packages that range in price and features. The first is the standard with ads package which costs a total of CAD 5.99 a month. The second is the standard package which costs a total of CAD 16.49 a month. The third is the premium package which costs a total of CAD 20.99 a month. The standard with ads and standard packages supports two devices at a time, and the premium package supports four devices at a time. Additional devices can be added to all packages for CAD 7.99 each per month.
While Netflix does not currently offer a student discount, its wide variation in pricing provides the option to save a few bucks while still having access to all your favourite media.
Considered to be one of Netflix’s closest competitors, Disney Plus is *the* place to explore Disney’s vast filmography.
Home to the Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel and National Geographic libraries, Disney Plus is the only place to watch shows such as The Mandalorian, Loki, Andor and She-Hulk. These shows, which have drawn in millions of viewers for Disney each year, won’t appear on any other streaming services. On top of this, Disney Plus is one of the best streaming services for families as it hosts a variety of content that will appeal to both children and their parents.
Disney Plus also has a variety of packages that vary in price. The first is the standard with ads package which costs a total of CAD 7.99 a month. The second is the standard package which costs a total of CAD 11.99 a month. The third is the premium package which costs a total of CAD 14.99 a month. Disney Plus also has the option to pay a yearly fee for the standard and premium packages, saving the streamer a good deal of money.
Disney Plus, while more expensive than Netflix for the standard with ads package, is cheaper than all other packages. It also provides students with 15% off when a 12-month plan is purchased.
Amazon Prime Video, while lacking the same catalogue as Netflix and Disney Plus, is one of the most cost-effective streaming services when bundled with an Amazon membership.
Prime Video is known for its variety of ad-free, quality original shows and movies as well as an impressive collection of classic films. While the interface it works on is much more confusing than that of Netflix and Disney Plus, intermingling free and paid content in the same place, Amazon Prime Video is a free perk that is tacked on to the purchase of a regular Prime membership.
The price for a monthly prime membership is CAD 9.99 and the yearly price is CAD 99. Prime also has a student option, which costs CAD 5.99 per month for up to four years.
Formerly HBO Max, the rebranded Max provides some of the most popular TV shows and movies on the market.
While Max lacks the variety that Netflix is known for and doesn’t cater to younger audiences in the way that Disney Plus does, it still attracts a large audience. Max, which is home to the popular House of the Dragon series, also hosts all of HBO’s library, the DC universe titles, the Lord of the Rings movies and almost every Studio Ghibli film.
While Canadians cannot tune in to the Max platform on its own, the popular streaming service and all of its offerings can be accessed through Crave, another fan favourite. There are three packages offered by Crave. The first is the basic with ads package which costs a total of CAD 9.99 a month. The second is the standard with ads package which costs CAD 14.99. The third is the premium package, the only package that is ad-free, which costs CAD 19.99.
While a Crave subscription opens a variety of doors to a multitude of media options, if you are subscribing simply for Max, the service is a little pricey. Crave Canada does not provide student discounts either.
This list is far from exhaustive. While Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video and (HBO) Max are some of the more popular streaming services, they are not the only ones. Every day a new method of streaming makes itself available and people around the globe have to decide on whether or not they are going to subscribe to another streaming service.
Some other factors to consider when choosing a preferred service include simultaneous streams, a user-friendly interface and the quality of the streamed content. But most importantly, users should pick a streaming service whose library is best catered to their interests.
A more exhaustive streaming service resource can be found here.